Limon, Costa Rica
Limon is a major port town on the southern Caribbean region of Costa Rica, and is the gateway to the south of the country where beach resorts, hotels, vacation villas and a wide variety of lodges and cabins line the coast, most with direct access to sandy beaches and clear blue waters of the Caribbean, the recipe for a great family holiday, a honeymoon or an adventure trip.
Driving into Limon for the first time you will see yards after yards of cargo containers, there is no end to them, as Limon is one of the two primary ports of Costa Rica. Pass this stretch however and you will find a different Limon that has a character and vibrancy unlike any other Costa Rica resort towns. It is rough-and-ready on the outside with typical run-down wooden buildings, happy and friendly people on the inside as you take a closer look. You will sense Costa Rica history as you explore the center of town, and there is every imaginable item in the shops that one would want to buy.
From San Jose via the Braulio Carrillo highway it is a long downhill drive before you reach the lowlands which lead you to Limon. The road into Limon is potholed but scenic with miles and miles of banana plantations on both sides.
As you enter Limon, drive straight past the gas station where the turn off to Puerto Viego is to the right, and at the end of this road you will reach the city park with a central green square. As you turn left at the T-junction, Park Hotel is just ahead, a basic hotel on the waterfront with rooms overlooking the sea. The walkways surrounding the hotel provide a popular venue for young lovers to spend time together. The sea laps onto rocky outcrops and at low tides locals stand on these rocks to fish.
The buildings in the central shopping district look old and worn but full of character that comes with age; small balconies hanging over the walkways make you imagine that these are homes of those making a living in the shops below.
The central park has lines of majestic royal palms near the promenade fronting the Caribbean Sea, where an old concert stage has partly fallen into disrepair and stands like a monument to the past. This is where kids get to buy their favorite scrapped ice with fruit cordial and nestle milk. The weather becomes pleasant at sunset hour, less humid than the Pacific side, and with cooling sea breezes coming in from the Caribbean it is no wonder that the town becomes even livelier after dark.
Limon is generally a safe place with friendly locals. It would be wise however not to dress conspicuously or wear expensive jewelry, and keep the cash in your pocket to the minimum if you plan to stay out late. Limon can be an interesting stopover for a couple of days on your way to Cahuita or Puerto Viejo or Panama.